Allergy-friendly foods and fruits

Let me tell you the most practical thing first: There is currently no food or fruit that can directly "cure" allergies. If you find that the allergen is a specific food, no matter how healthy it is or how amazing it is, you must strictly avoid it. For non-food-induced allergies (such as pollen, dust mites, cat hair allergies, etc.), there are indeed several types of foods rich in anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating ingredients that can help alleviate the discomfort of allergic attacks and reduce the frequency of attacks, but they are always an auxiliary and cannot replace drugs and allergen avoidance.

A while ago, I had an old patient who suffered from allergic rhinitis in the spring. Her temples were throbbing when she sneezed. After checking the allergens, she was only allergic to cedar pollen and had no food restrictions. I asked her to add more spinach, broccoli and other dark green leafy vegetables to her daily meals, and to eat steamed salmon two or three times a week. She didn’t need to deliberately eat more, just add it to her three meals. She came for a follow-up visit last month and said that the duration of her nose congestion during the attack this year was almost 3 days shorter than last year, and the symptoms of itchy eyes were also much lighter. In fact, the flavonoids in dark green vegetables and the Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids in salmon can reduce the body's inflammatory response and prevent the immune system from overly "exploding" when it encounters allergens.

When it comes to fruits, you don’t actually need to look for any unpopular niche varieties, the ones commonly found in supermarkets will suffice. For example, strawberries with seeds, sweet and sour kiwis, and Kyoho and summer black grapes eaten with their skins. The vitamin C and resveratrol in these can inhibit the release of histamine, which can just relieve the redness, itching, and runny nose caused by allergies. My eyes tend to itch every March when the willow catkins float. I grab a small bunch of grapes as a snack every afternoon. I personally test that I can rub my eyes less often. But here’s a special mention: Mango, pineapple, and kiwi themselves are also highly allergenic fruits. You need to make sure you are not allergic to them before eating them, otherwise they will directly induce allergies, and the gain outweighs the loss.

Speaking of which, someone must mention the popular saying "drinking local honey to prevent allergies" that is very popular on the Internet. This is actually quite controversial. The supporting view is that unprocessed local honey will be mixed with a small amount of common local pollen particles, and long-term drinking in small amounts is equivalent to low-dose desensitization. I have a friend who has been drinking Xi'an's local acacia honey for three consecutive years. The urticaria that I always suffered every spring only broke out in two or three small rashes this year. But on the other hand, there are clear objections from the nutritional community: the pollen content in honey is too unstable. If it happens to be mixed with pollen that you are allergic to, it may induce acute allergies. Children under 1 year old must not touch honey because of the risk of botulism infection. No one can advise it.

Many people also ask whether probiotics can fight allergies. This also depends on the situation. At present, only a few strains such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus reuteri have been proven by clinical studies to help improve atopic dermatitis in infants and young children. Other common probiotics can basically regulate gastrointestinal function and cannot compete with anti-allergy, so don’t waste your money.

I have encountered many people who went to extremes before. I heard that β-carotene can regulate immunity, and they gave steamed carrots to a child with allergies every day. As a result, after half a month of eating, the baby’s palms and soles turned yellow. Excessive carotene intake cannot be metabolized, but it puts a burden on the gastrointestinal tract. Don’t deify any kind of “anti-allergy food”. No matter how useful it is, it must be based on a balanced diet. One or two servings a day is enough. Eating too much may cause problems.

Finally, a reminder: If an allergy attack has affected your normal life, you should take anti-allergy medicines, check allergens, and avoid allergens is the core solution. If allergies can be solved by eating some fruits and vegetables, then the allergy department of a tertiary hospital won’t have to wait in such a long queue every day, right?